Let me first be very clear. I am not a photographer. I can barely tell you the difference between exposure and aperture. I am still learning every day how to take better pictures. I only know a few of the settings on my Canon DSLR. This post if for anyone who is an amateur photographer like me and just wants to up your picture taking game. These are my tips for you that I use in taking my photos every single day.
The Equiment
Using A Camera
When I am using my camera, the first thing I make sure I do is change the setting to “Sport Mode”. Your camera will probably have an equivalent. If your kids are like mine, they are constantly moving. When I first started taking photos I kept getting blurry pictures because the kids were moving too quickly for the camera to focus. Once I changed the setting, POOF, my pictures were already 100% better because they were in focus.
The Pros
*Your photos are better quality
*You can zoom in and out without losing quality in the picture
*You have a lot more artistic freedom when you do learn what aperture actually does!
The Cons
*A camera, especially a DSLR is bulky
*You may not have it with you at that picture perfect time
*Complicated to use if you don’t know what you are doing like me!
Using A Phone
I use my phone to take pictures often. I have the I-phone 11 which honestly has been life changing for me. Using it for my flat lays, for tutorial pictures and videos has been amazing. The camera is so good in low light! Living in England, I have to deal with many dreary days which are not good for taking photos, especially inside. Luckily, since I upgraded, my photos have been so much better. To be honest, I rarely use my phone for my modeled pictures of the kids. For these, I most often use my Canon. This does not mean that you cannot use your phone because a phone takes incredible pictures! My advice is this, do not use the portrait setting (I-Phone) because it can end up looking really fake. Use the basic camera mode and then edit your pictures later.
The Pros
*Your phone is always within reach.
*No uploading after you have taken the pictures, they are right there for you to edit and share
*Very easy to use, no complicated settings
The Cons
*Quality will never be as good as a great camera
*When you zoom in, the picture quality goes down
*Less creative freedom
My Top Tips
Ok, so you have decided what to take your photos on, now what? There are many things that I have learned this year whilst taking photos of my kids. Here are my top tips for you because as they say, never work with animals or children right?
Styling
most days.
Ok, so I am going to be so honest with you right now. My children do not look like this every day! When M dresses herself, it looks like a unicorn threw up a rainbow and it landed on my daughter’s little body. When planning a photo, I have a very specific idea of what I want the outfit to look like. It takes so much thought and planning to style the crochet garment that I have put hours into making. I make sure that I have the perfect dress, tights, shoes and accessories that will compliment my new design. When I am buying new clothes for M, I often try and find things that will be versatile and photogenic. When it’s time for photo taking, I use this philosophy when getting M into the clothes; BRIBERY. It is an extremely well known way to get what you want and it works. If she had her way, she would being wearing the unicorn puke; every colour and pattern under the sun, every accessory she owns plus a crown and tiara but for the photos, it’s not what I want to portray. Don’t get me wrong, I truly believe M should wear what she wants but not in the photos I am putting out to the world when I am trying to sell a pattern. Let’s get right down to it, you are trying to sell something, a pattern, yourself, or your work and what the photo looks like is important!
Give Them A Prop
So the other day we were about to do a little photo shoot and as usual M was trying to add her styling to the outfit. She had placed a tiara on her head and I was about to go into full “Stage Mom” mode and try and convince her to take it off but then I thought, why? I can work with this. It may actually add to the joy of the photo. I gave her a Maileg mouse and the little suitcase it came in and off we went. The pictures turned out so incredibly beautiful! M is more comfortable and natural when she has something in her hands so I always find something that will compliment the picture and give it to her. I promise, it will help you too! Just give it a try next time you are out taking your photos.
Make-up A Story
Here is my secret weapon when the moaning and whining “I DON’T WANT TO TAKE PICTURES” comes out. I come up with some kind of story or scenario that we are going to play out so that M becomes immersed in her imagination during the photo shoot. Start with “Once Upon A Time…” and off you go! Any princess story will do. Hide some treasures around the garden or the house for your child to find. During their adventure, you will be able to snap away!
To Pose Or Not To Pose
All of my best photos are not posed. The more I try and set up a photo, the worse it seems to look. Take your photos between the poses. If your child is posing, yell out an incredibly mature word like “POOP!!!” or “FART” or any other sophisticated saying to break the pose and get them to give you a truly sparkling smile. Go for a walk, run ahead of them and turn around and get them when they are in motion. Motion is key! Your kids will look more natural and comfortable in front of the camera if there is motion in your photos.
Another important thing I would like to note is that they don’t have to be looking directly at the camera to get a good photo. Some of my favorite pictures are those where they are looking away or even ones I have taken from behind them. Take a look back at some of your photos, you may find some gems you didn’t even know you had!
Background Is Just As Important As the Foreground
Where are you taking your picture? Outside, inside, in the city, in the country, in the park, at the mall or in your house. Wherever it may be, take that extra effort to prep your surroundings for the photo. Make sure you don’t have clutter if you are in your house. Is there a car in the frame when you are out in the park? Change your angle so it’s not captured in the photo or crop it out later. Is there a chip in the wall paint? Move your subject over. Is there hair on the sleeve? Take it off. These details may seems so small but I promise, it makes all the difference. An incredible picture and an average picture can be determined by the smallest detail. I often go for the less is more approach. When in doubt, a plain backdrop will go a long way and showcase your incredible work.
Editing
I would like to go into this topic a little more in depth at a later time but for now I will keep it super, super, simple. BRIGHTNESS. WARMTH. SATURATION, SHARPEN. If you turn each of these settings up a little on your phone or on Instagram, your picture will look 100% better in less then a minute. I keep seeing ads asking people to pay for pre-sets. I have been so tempted so many times but you don’t need them! It is so easy to do it yourself. I have done a little video tutorial so you can see these simple edits in action. There are also some before and after photos using Instagram to edit.
